September 2, 2022
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L-r: Alan Harbold, Jody Fleming, Rick Tawney, Al Carter, Jim Pryor, John Brainard, Byron Spear.
We need to get caught up on some pastoral assignments.
Senior Pastors
Alan Harbold has been appointed senior pastor of Strinestown UB church (Manchester, Pa.). He has been pastor of Mt. Washington UB church (York, Pa.) since September 2020, and will now pastor both congregations. Jody Fleming, who had pastored Strinestown since September 2019, has retired.
Rick Tawney has been appointed to oversee First UB church (Columbus, Ohio) while continuing as a church planter in Columbus, which he has been doing since 2019. Al Carter, a UB minister since 2002 who had pastored First UB since August 2011, has retired.
Jim Pryor has been named senior pastor of Richfield Road UB church in Flint, Mich. He previously pastored that congregation 2007-2017. In between Richfield Road was served by John Brainard, who concluded four years as pastor there in December 2021.
Byron Spear has been appointed senior pastor of Banner of Christ UB church (Byron Center, Mich.), effective September 11. Since 2011, he has served primarily in youth ministry at three different churches, including four years at Rising Hope UB (Shippensburg, Pa.) and, since 2018, at Colwood UB (Caro, Mich.). Banner has been served by interim ministers since April 2021.
L-r: Todd Frederick, Bill Blue, Daryl Elliott, Matt Coppess, Ted Doolittle, Robert Rose, Ricky Hull, Amos Rawley.
Todd Frederick has been appointed senior pastor of Shoreline UB church (Oak Harbor, Ohio) effective July 1. He had served the UB church in Jackson, Mich. (originally Pathway Community, now Heart O’ the Lakes-Jackson) since February 2017. Bill Blue, the pastor at Shoreline since 2011, retired in October 2021 after 45 years in United Brethren ministry going back to 1976, mostly as a youth pastor.
Dwight Walker has been appointed senior pastor of Fountain UB church (Keyser, W. Va.). Daryl Elliott, the pastor at Fountain 2002-2021, retired in June 2021 after 32 years of United Brethren ministry.
Matt Coppess has been serving since February 2022 as senior pastor of Calvary UB church (Saginaw, Mich.). Ted Doolittle, who had pastored Calvary for the previous 14 years, retired at the end of December 2021 after 41 years in UB ministry in Ohio and Michigan.
Robert Rose was appointed senior pastor of First Church of the Bronx (Bronx, New York) effective July 1, 2022. He was previously a United Brethren minister in Jamaica Conference.
Mike Heim has been appointed senior pastor of Victory Heights UB church (Franklin, Pa.). Previous pastor Steve Henry passed away in 2021, as did interim pastor Tim Bell, who followed him.
James Martin was appointed senior pastor of Orrstown UB church (Orrstown, Pa.) in February 2022. Ken Williamson, the pastor since 2012, departed in 2021.
Ricky Hull has been appointed senior pastor of Crosswords UB church (Charlotte, Mich.) effective September 11, 2022. He has served in UB ministry since 2012 in Ohio and Michigan, including a previous six-year stint at Crossroads.
Amos Rawley concluded seven years of ministry at New Hope UB (Huntington, Ind.), including senior pastor since July 2016, at the end of May 2022. The church is currently in the stationing process.
L-r: Greg Reed, Steve Fish, Don Baker, Keith Elliott, Mark Ralph, Darrel Bosworth.
Interim Pastors
Craig Holler has been serving as interim pastor of Mt. Hermon UB church (Pomeroy, Ohio) since June 2021.
Greg Reed retired in December 2021 as senior pastor of Morning Star UB church (Kokomo, Ind.), after serving there since 1978. Since then, Steve Fish has been serving as a part-time interim pastor, a role which will conclude in November 2022. Steve began his ministry in 1989 with 12 years on staff at Morning Star, and is currently an associate director of UB Global.
Dave Bowersock has been serving the past year as interim pastor of The Heights, a UB church in East Liverpool, Ohio.
Don Baker was appointed interim pastor of Criders UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) in June 2022. He has served in ministry since 1980, most recently with 11 years on the staff of King Street UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.). In November 2021, Keith Elliott concluded ten years as pastor at Criders.
Mark Ralph has been serving as interim pastor of First UB church (Van Wert, Ohio) since June 2021. In March 2021 he concluded seven months as interim part of First UB in Findlay, Ohio. He will conclude his assignment at Van Wert at the end of September 2022. Mark officially retired in 2018 after 33 years as a UB minister going back to 1975 (with about 11 years serving elsewhere).
Darrell Bosworth, a UB minister in Michigan since 1999, concluded a year as Revitalization pastor of Crossroads UB (Charlotte, Mich.), and will now begin a 6-12 month interim assignment at Sunfield UB (Sunfield, Mich.).
Pastor Mark Ralph (right) has been appointed Interim Senior Pastor at Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio). He will assists the congregation in preparing for their next senior pastor, who will be appointed within the coming six months.
Rev. Tom Datema (left) has been assigned as senior pastor of Gaines UB church (Caledonia, Mich.). He and his wife, Kim, moved to Caledonia on June 21. Tom had been senior pastor since 1998 of Zanesville UB church (Zanesville, Ind.), and was ordained in 1999.
Gary Dilley (right) resigned as senior pastor of College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.), effective February 17, 2019. He had been pastor of College Park since 2008. Dilley has been a UB minister since 1980, and served seven years, 2001-2008, as Director of Missions. He is also currently a member of the denominational Executive Leadership Team.
Effective February 25, Dilley began a three-month interim assignment as senior pastor of Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio). He takes the place of Dan Maas (right), who had pastored the church since July 2017 and resigned effective February 17. Bishop Todd Fetters preached at Findlay on February 24, and Gary Dilley started the next day.